And Then You Really Start to Freak Out

Everyone keeps asking me if I'm totally stressed out about the wedding and wedding planning and up until this point I've been relatively calm because I pretty much already knew what I wanted and got the BIG stuff out of the way back before the holidays (you know... the dress, the venue, the menu).  But for some reason this week I've gone from floating along in pre-wedding bliss to completely losing my mind.  Is this normal?  

Mostly what I'm freaking out about it how much it costs to actually have a wedding.  I see why people elope in Vegas.   Who knows why this didn't hit me back when I started planning.  I did an original cost analysis for our budget and it has not gone up, but I guess when it's a year out you aren't as worried about having that money. Also, someone needs to explain to me why something costs more when you put the words "wedding" or "bride" in front of it.  Suddenly a cake goes from $50 to $500 because it's a "wedding" cake instead of a fancy-could-be-birthday-or-maybe-just-a-special-occasion-cake.  Really?

Anyway, last night BF and I got down and dirty with wedding planning.  We started combing through our wedding invite list to see whose addresses we still needed (quite a few!) and who may have been inadvertently left off the list completely (mostly just a handful of folks we forgot we were related to, is that awful? I feel awful!).  We also spent a good chunk of the night picking out wedding music:  pre-ceremony music and processional music and recessional music, don't forget the first dance and the father-daughter dance and the mother-son dance.  We actually really enjoyed this part of planning because we love music and have so many inside jokes with good songs that we were laughing on the couch far into the night at our wedding party music.  

So here's what we've got left to do this week/weekend:

1.  Find a florist.  UGH.  I dont know why this bothers me so much, but it just does.  

2.  Find shoes- I may be going barefoot at this point.  I don't even know what kind I want.  Maybe nice sandals?  Heels probably won't cut it.  

3.  Finish registering at Macy's.  

4.  Pick our cake flavors and design.  Meeting on Sunday with the cake lady.

And then the next few weeks will be filled with:

1.  Getting the boys/men measured for their suits and picking the suits.

2.  Getting a dress for my MOH.

3.  Getting my mom and MIL together to pick our their outfits.

4.  Getting my mom and MIL together to discuss table decorations.

5.  Getting our engagement photos done.

6.  Not losing our minds.

I'm sure there is plenty I'm forgetting.  

So send me your sanity vibes and I know I'll be good.

2012: Big Plans

As I've discussed a little on this blog, BF and I have a lot of plans in the works:  Wedding, buying a house, etc.  We thought it was important to sit down and draft a plan of what we wanted to achieve and how we were going to get there.  


First we started with wedding stuff since we started that before any of the rest of the items, but that proved to be pretty easy.  Here's what we have done for the wedding:


1. Dress- picked out, tried on, ordered and now stored safely in a secret location!  Along with the veil, accessories, etc.
2.  Location- Wedding rehearsal dinner, ceremony and reception locations are all picked and a down payment made.
3.  Menu- picked, even though our picks aren't due until July.  Hey, we know what we like!
4.  Music- picked and put on a playlist!  Ceremony, reception, etc.
5.  Bridal party and Groomsmen- done and notified!
6.  Guest List- mostly done, just verifying some family members.


Really the only few things left are:
1. Picking and officiant.
2.  Picking a bakery for the SMALL cake- we don't want to feed everyone cake, but still need a little one for the cake cutting and pictures.
3.  Bridesmaid dresses and groomsmen colors.  Not that worried about it since they don't need them until September.
4.  Invitations.  Still, not worried since we won't be sending them out until late spring/early summer.
5.  Flowers- but we really only want flowers for my bouquet, the bridesmaids bouquets and the grooms'/groomsmen's boutonnieres. 
6.  Photographer.


I'm hoping to get a bunch of this stuff figured out during the Bridal Show next weekend where I can meet vendors, etc.




The next thing we are working on is buying a house.  Since the market is so low right now and paying a mortgage is about what we already pay for rent we figured it just made sense to do it now.  We've currently viewed about 20 homes and made a few offers.  I'm hoping we hear back from our favorite house soon and get things going!


We don't have a "to do" list for our home yet since we aren't sure which home we will end up with, however I've already gone paint shopping and picked out a palette that both BF and I like a lot for the main living spaces.  We already know that no matter what house we get we will probably repaint the inside to our tastes.

Because we don't have the house yet, we have decided that this is the perfect time to start "Nothing New 2012" because it will deter us from buying things that we will just have to move to the new home anyway (we both HATE moving) and also help us save money for possible home projects (like paint or a backyard make over!).  Here are our rules for Nothing New 2012:


If we think we need something, these are the questions we must first ask:


1.  Can we borrow it from a friend/family member? 
2.  Can we get it used?  
3.  Is there a sustainable alternative?
4.  Do we really NEED it?  Or do we WANT it?
5.  Does it have a home?  Meaning does it have a place to be stored or be kept permanently if we do get it.




The items that we know we will be buying that are MOSTLY exempt:


1.  Groceries
2.  Toiletries/ household cleaning items
3.  Dog food/treats/medications 
4.  Prescriptions/Vitamins/Supplements
5.  Undergarments- you never realize how quickly men's undershirts wear completely out until he cannot find a suitable one to wear one day!
6.  Experiences- travel or entertainment.  You should spend money on fun memories that build your relationship rather than consumables and knick knacks. 


The reason I qualified this list as MOSTLY exempt from the rules is that there are items that we buy regularly that I've been trying to phase out and replace with more sustainable ones and also items that I'm starting to question that we even need (ie. vitamins and supplements- they cannot hurt, but research shows that they don't really make you healthier, your food and lifestyle do that... which is a whole other post).  




Once we have the house stuff settled and the remainder of the wedding expenses paid for we will continue the Nothing New because we feel that it's just a good practice.  We don't need to fill our home with unnecessary stuff and we don't need to fill landfills with trash.  As we go we will just start setting goals on what to save for next- a trip to Europe, a weekend kayaking excursion, cooking classes, etc.




Here's hoping we hear about the house soon and that 2012 will be an amazing year!

It Begins...

Ok, so BF and I have launched our Wedding Website to keep everyone updated on plans.  Please feel free to visit and check back often as we update it!

Our Wedding Site!